Hose-supporting clasp.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

F.W. MALLETT. HOSE SUPPORTING CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1905.

WI TJVESSE S UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS WILLIAM MALLETT, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPIRELLA COMPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION 'OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

Application filed September 22, 1905- Serial No. 279,622.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS WILLIAM MALLETT, of Meadville, in the county of Crawford, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Hose-Supporting Clasps, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of clasps which are connected to a strap or web suspended from the waistband or belt of a garment and are provided with means for grasping the top edge of the hose; and the invention consists in a novel construction and combination of the component parts of a clasp which is very convenient and efficient in its operation, as hereinafter explained, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a clasp embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a reverse face view of the same detached from the garment. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line X X in Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a longitudinal section of the clasp in its open position, and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are disconnected perspective views of the component parts of the clasp.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a represents the base-plate of the clasp, which plate is formed with an aperture 1) in its center, a hook-shaped jaw c on one end, and transverse slots d and cl, one of which is between the jaw c and the aperture 1) and the other is in the opposite end of the plate. The sides of said plate are formed with longitudinal flanges e e, which project at right angles from the plane of the plate and extend from end to end thereof to brace and stiffen the plate longitudinally. Said flanges are perforated at or near the centers of their lengths or opposite the central aperture b, as shown at e in Fig. 5 of the drawings. To compensate for the weakening of the plate by the aperture b, I enlarge the depth of the flanges at said aperture, as shown.

C denotes the web or strap by means of which the clasp is suspended from the waistband of the garment. The clasp is connected to said strap by the latter passing through the upper slot d from the front of the plate a, thence along the back of said plate and around the exterior of the jaw c, and finally through the lower slot d, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. The strap is thus held in position across the aperture b of the base-plate to shield the coupling of the thumb-lever to the clamping-tongue hereinafter described and is also caused to cover the aw 0, so as to obviate injury to the portion of the hose grasped in said jaw, as shown at D in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

f denotes the clampingtongue, which pinches the hose in the jaw c, and g designates the thumb-lever by means of which the tongue f is operated. The thumb-lever g is formed at its lower end with inwardly-deflected ears h h, which are perforated, as shown at h, and are elongated to form supplemental ears i i, extending from the end of the lever and perforated, as shown at t" in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Said thumb-lever is pivoted to a transverse rod j, passing through the perforations h in the ears h h and through the perforations c c in the enlarged portions of the flanges e e of the base-plate and clenched or otherwise suitably fastened to said flanges.

The clamping-tongue f is provided with perforated earsf, projecting from the tongue and connected to the supplemental ears i of the thumb-lever g by means of a rod Z, pass ing through said ears. 1 The clasp is opened by the operator def pressing the pivoted end of the tongue f, thereby causing the free ends of said tongue and lever g to be thrown outfrom the plane of the base-plate a, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The upper end of the hose is thus allowed to be placed in the jaw c, in which it is subsequently clamped by the closing of the clasp, which is effected by the operators fingers depressing the free end of the tongue f onto the portion of the hose lying on the baseplate a adjacent to the jaw c, and then by the operator depressing the free end of the lever g the tongue f is forced toward the aw 0, so as to jam the hose D therein. In the said movement the pivot of the clamping-tongue is carried from the base-plate outward beyond the fulcrum of the thumb-lever, and thus throws the clamping-tongue into an angle of inclination from the thumb-lever to lock the said tongue in its hose-retaining position, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

The hose is readily released from the clasp when desired by the manipulator depressing the pivoted end of the clamping-tongue f in the direction indicated by the arrow 15, and thus opening the clasp, as before described.

In order to retain the clamping-tongue away from the jaw and in a position to allow the hose to be conveniently connected to the said jaw, I employ a suitable spring 8 for forcing the free end of said tongue outward from the base-plate. I preferably form said spring from wire bent V-shaped at its center and having the end portions coiled in the sha e of two spirals, which surround, respective y, the rods j and Z and are terminated in the form of fingers s s, which bear on the backs of the lever g and tongue f. The said spring and the supplemental ears i enter into the central aperture I) of the base-plate and partly protrude at the back of said plate when the clasp is opened, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and the band C covering said protruding parts prevents them from annoymg the user of the clasp'.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A clas consisting of a base-plate formed with a hook-shaped jaw on one end, a strapreceiving slot in the opposite end, an a erture in the central portion and longitudmal flanges on its sides, a lever fulcrumed on said flanges opposite the central aperture of the plate and formed with ears extending beyond the fulcrum of the lever and adapted to enter the said aperture, and a clampingtongue pivoted to said ears as set forth.

2. A clasp consisting of a base-plate formed with a hook-shaped jaw on one end, a strap receiving slot in the opposite end, an aperture in the center of the plate, and longitudinal flanges extending from end to end of the plate, a thumb-lever formed with inwardlydeflected ears pivoted to said flanges, opposite the central aperture and supplemental ears extending from the said deflected ears and adapted to enter the central aperture, and the clamping-tongue pivoted to the supplemental ears as set forth.

3. The improved hose-supporting clasp consisting of the base-plate formed with a hook-shaped jaw on one end, an aperture in the center of the plate, longitudinal flanges projecting at right angles from the plane of the plate and extending from end to end thereof and enlarged in depth at the central aperture, the thumb-lever pivoted to the flanges at said aperture and provided with ears extending beyond the pivot, and the clamping-tongue pivoted to said ears, in combination with the suspending-strap extending across the central aperture and sepurefil to both ends of the base-plate as set ort 4. A hose-supporting clasp consisting of a base-plate formed with a hook-shaped hose-receiving jaw on one end, means for attaching the plate to the strap at the opposite end of the plate and longitudinal flanges projecting at right angles from the plane of the plate, a transverse rod connected to the flanges, a lever pivoted on said rod and formed with supplemental ears extending beyond the pivot of the lever, the clampingtongue pivoted to said supplemental ears,

, and a spring disposed to press thefree end of said tongue outward from the base-plate as set forth.

5. A hose-supporting clasp consisting of a base-plate formed with the hose-receiving jaw on one end, means for attaching the plate to the strap, an aperture in the central portion of the plate and longitudinal flanges on the sides of the plate, a transverse rod attached to the flanges opposite the central aperture, a thumb-lever formed with inwardly-deflected ears pivoted to said rod and with supplemental ears extending beyond the pivot, a transverse rod attached to the supplemental ears, the clamping-tongue provided with ears pivoted to the last-mentioned rod, and a spring consisting of a wire having its end portions each coiled around one of the aforesaid transverse rods and terminating in fingers bearing on the backs of the thumb-lever and clamping-tongue substantially as set forth and shown.

6. The base-plate formed with the hose-receiving jaw on one end, an aperture in its central portion, transverse slots in the ends of the plate, and longitudinal flanges projecting at right angles from the plane of the plate, a transverse rod attached to the flanges opposite the central aperture, a thumb-lever pivoted to said rod and formed with supplemental ears extending beyond the pivot, a transverse rod attached to said supplemental ears, the clamping-tongue. formed with ears pivoted to the transverse rod on the supplemental ears, a spring-wire having its central portion bent V-shaped and its end portions coiled around the transverse rods and terminating in fingers bearing on the backs of the thumblever and clamping-tongue, and the suspending-strap extending along the back of the base-plate to cover the central aperture thereof and around the jaw to cushion the same and passing through the transverse slots to retaln the clasp on the strap, all constructed and combined to operate substantially as set forth.

FRANCIS WILLIAM MALLETT. [n 8.]

Witnesses:

MARoUs Mnnnirr BEEMAN, WILLIAM WALLACE KINOAID. 

